Dr. Tim Nyerges is professor of Geography at the University of Washington and has a long and distinguished career in geographic information science research, education, and service. Tim earned his Ph.D. degree in geography from The Ohio State University in 1980 and worked in industry for 5 years before joining the faculty at the University of Washington where he continues his work today. Tim has accumulated an excellent research and publication record which includes five books, 45 referred articles, 21 book chapters, and other publications while teaching and mentoring students, developing academic programs, and conducting important services to his university and professional community.
 
Tim’s work on participatory GIS, collaborative decision making, and spatial decision support systems are ground-breaking. His work published in top-rated peer-reviewed journals and books at his different career stages are solid references summarizing the state of the art of the research topics being addressed. His earliest co-edited book on Cognitive Aspects of Human-computer Interaction for Geographic Information Systems, published in 1995, is a significant document in the field of human-computer interactions. His two subsequent books (co-authored with P. Jankowski) on Geographic Information Systems for Group Decision Making: Toward a Participatory Geographic Information Science (2001) and Regional and Urban GIS: A Decision Support Approach (2010) are classics in the field. Working with colleagues at the National Research Council, Tim also contributed to the book on GIS for Housing and Urban Development. His most recent book, Handbook of GIS & Society, co-edited with Robert McMaster and Helen Couclelis, is another substantial document, contributing to a deeper understanding of how GIS is impacting society and vice versa.
 
Tim’s research has been competitively funded by agencies, such as NSF, NOAA, EPA, Energy, and others. He was the principal investigator of a $2.7 million NSF grant, which aimed at developing an Internet platform to support public participation in transportation decision making. Tim has also received many other substantial grants to support his research with online decision support, CyberGIS, vulnerability mapping, and sustainability information science. Tim’s strong intellectual leadership as well as day-to-day managerial and personal skills is a key part of his success.
 
Tim’s contributions to geographic information science education include teaching courses in GIS, mentoring graduate students, and developing a new Master of GIS for Sustainability Management program and degree at the University of Washington. Tim has advised PhD and MS students, as well as serving as a committee member of students in geography and other disciplines.
 
Tim is a strong advocate for GIScience and his enthusiasm is contagious. His professional services to the GIScience discipline, and to UCGIS, are outstanding. As a distinguished scholar and seasoned grants man, Tim has often served on NSF panels, NRC committees, numerous tenure and promotion reviews, AAG GIS Specialty Group Chair, and most recently as a member of the National Geospatial Advisory Committee. Tim first served UCGIS as Chair of the Research committee in 2005-2007. He was elected President-elect of UCGIS in 2008, becoming President in 2009 and serving his two-year term plus an additional year as past-president to ensure continuity during a stage of uncertainty in the organization. Tim’s commitment helped bring stability, along with changes, that have further anchored the organization and he now serves as Treasurer of UCGIS.
 
In recognition of his advances in GIS research, his contributions to GIS education, his promotion of the use of GIS, his activities to build scholarly communities across disciplines connected with GI Science, and his contributions to UCGIS, Dr. Tim Nyerges is awarded the status of UCGIS Fellow 2015.